Student Instrument Guide and Technqiue Assignment

Every year at MVHS, your first semester project will be to complete this Instrument Guide. Download the attachment above and begin working on it as soon as possible. Different parts of the assignments will be due throughout the first semester. We hope you will find this information beneficial to your understanding of your instrument. This project is in conjunction with Mr. Scherr’s Master Degree through the American Band College.

The Bassoon and Contra Bassoon

The Modern Bassoon (French: "basson", German: "fagott", Italian: "fagotto", Spanish: "fagot") is a musical instrument with a history behind it of over four centuries. It is the principal tenor and bass instrument of the orchestra woodwind family which also includes the flute, the oboe and cor anglais or English horn, the clarinet, the bass clarinet and the contra bassoon. Its narrow conical bore leads from the curved metal crook or bocal onto which the double reed is placed down through the wing joint or tenor joint to the bass or boot joint. The bore then doubles back up through the long joint and finally through the bell which is located at the top of the instrument.

The instrument, which weighs about seven pounds when assembled, is supported and stabilized either with a neck strap which allows the player to stand or with a seat belt.

Sound is produced by sealing the lips around the double reed made of cane and blowing air against and through the two blades causing them to vibrate against each other at a certain frequency or pitch.

The bassoon, which is pitched in C, has slightly more than a three-octave range starting from the Bb below the bass staff up to the treble E. This is the range most commonly played and written in the repertoire. Although rarely used, additional fingerings have been developed that allow it to play up to, almost, an octave higher. Its rich, dark, sonorous range coincides with the bass and tenor voice while at the top its tone is expressive and plaintive reaching into the lower range of the soprano voice.

In the orchestra the bassoon is the woodwind equivalent of the cello in the string family and the trombone in the brass family.

Besides having its place in the symphony orchestra, it is used extensively in opera and most recently in the contemporary musicals of the 20th century, television, and movie soundtracks. Innumerable composers have written for the bassoon, particularly during the 18th century, and the repertoire includes impressive parts in orchestral scores, woodwind ensemble music and many bassoon solo concertos.

The Contrabassoon The contrabassoon speaks an octave below the bassoon and is normally the orchestra's lowest sounding instrument. It represents in the woodwind family what the double bass does in the strings and the tuba in the brass family. The contra's bore is 15 feet 8 inches long, compared to the bassoon's 7 feet 9 inches, causing it to have the lower sound.

Like the bassoon, the contra is pitched in the key of C and its sound is produced with a double reed that is proportionately larger in size than the regular bassoon reed. The sound on the lower notes is characterized with a distinct "rattle" as part of the tone.

The instrument has a peg which is placed on the floor to support it instead of the neck strap or seat strap as used by the bassoonist and it is usually played sitting down. However, there are harnesses available now that allow players to stand in order to play the contra if they so desire.

The contra's first development and extensive use did not take place in Western Europe (Germany and France) as did the bassoon, but in Bohemia (located in what is known today as the Czech Republic) . Rather good instruments were made in Prague and music was widely written for the contra by composers there long before the instrument had any chance in the West. However, not all contras made in Bohemia during the first part of the 18th century can be considered real contras since they did not go down a full octave below the bassoon. Rather they were semi-contras going down only a fourth or fifth.

In the music of Western Europe, few composers wrote for the contra and then sparingly because there were other low-pitched instruments to use such as the bass horn or the tuba. During the Romantic Period, the preference was for brass instruments and composers did not put much value on the contra.

It was not until late in the 19th century that interest in the contra was heightened and makers began to work to improve and develop the instrument. In 1880, Wilhelm Heckel built what is considered by many to be the first modern full-scale contrabassoon. His design corrected many of the pitch problems typical in the earlier instruments and stabilized the scale.

Equipment and Materials

Parts of the Bassoon:Crutch: The function of the crutch is to assist in stabilizing the position of the bassoon. In general, players supporting their instruments with a neckstrap will find them necessary. The neckstrap provides little or no control of the rotation of the bassoon. The crutch provides this. Players using seatstraps find this less of a problem and often prefer not to use a crutch. For those players the use of a crutch is matter of individual preference. Many players are mistaken in the belief that the function of the crutch is to fill up the space between the palm of their right hand and the boot joint of the bassoon. While that could be considered a minor function it is not the primary function, which is to control the position of the bassoon.

Boot Joint: The boot joint is a U-shaped piece that joins the two parts of the instrument and sends the sound up to the top of the instrument.

Necessary Equipment- Instrument- Bocal: (A Number 2 is best for Stduents: Fox CVX #3)- Free blowing reeds-Strap: Bassoon Strap under the legs not the bottom Set the Bassoon at at 90% angle up and down. Then bring the bassoon to you "You should be able to hold the bassoon with out your hands"- crutch- small soaking cup for reed water- tuner- metronome- method book or other book on bassoon- Pliers to adjust wires on the reed

Body MaterialsPlastic: Used for bassoons at all levels, plastic is durable and not affected by humidity or temperature. This makes a good, tough instrument for beginners and outdoor concerts. Plastic also keeps the bassoon affordable relative to bassoons made of maple.Maple: Maple is the wood of choice for making fine bassoons. The sound is more resonant than that of plastic.

Bocals

All bocal makers mark their bocals with numbers to indicate the length of the bocal. Typically these numbers range from 0 to 4.Bocal Number 0 - ShortestBocal Number 1Bocal Number 2Bocal Number 3Bocal Number 4 - Longest

Cost:$600- $1000 for a professional

Tips: - Should be able to hold a vacuum

Maintenance, Instrument Brands, Upgrades & Purchasing a Bassoon

Bassoons enjoy one of the longest usable life spans of any modern woodwind instrument. The life expectancy of a bassoon is comparable to the life expectancy of a human. Just as a human must take regular care of his body, so also must a bassoon receive regular care.

Daily Care:The care a bassoon receives on an daily basis is the most important type of care it will receive. Nothing else has as profound an influence on the life span of a bassoon. Daily care centers on keeping your bassoon clean, inside and out. Moisture must be removed from the inside of the instrument and dirt and oils must be removed from the outside. Swabbing the bores!!! Moisture is the single most damaging enemy of a bassoon. If left in the bore of a bassoon it can eventually cause serious damage. In addition, moisture will shorten the life of the leather pads. Your bassoon’s wing and boot joints must be properly swabbed out after every use. This requires a pull through swab that can be introduced at one end of a bore segment and pulled through from the other end. It should never be necessary to swab the bassoon’s bell or bass joints. It is especially important to use a pull through swab in the boot joint. The old style push swabs are not capable of effectively removing moisture from the most important areas of the boot joint. They do a poor job in the bores near the u-tube and are incapable of cleaning the u-tube at all. Only a pull through swab will effectively clean the moisture from this area of the boot joint. Because of the difference in the sizes of the bores of the wing and boot joints it is often best to use different swabs for the two joints.

Cleaning the outside of your bassoon:Dust from the environment, skin oils and excess lubricating oil from the hinges all conspire to degrade the appearance of the outside of your bassoon. Regular cleaning is required to keep everything looking good. Dust is fairly easy to keep under control. A small brush such as a one inch wide paint brush can do a natural bristles; synthetic bristles sometimes will scratch finishes and do not absorb oils well. Every time you touch your bassoon you leave skin oils behind. It is desirable to wipe these oils off with a clean soft cloth when putting your bassoon back in its case. Oils can come from other sources as well, possibly including vapors from the oils used in treating the wood. If left on the plating these oils can cause some platings to become cloudy and dull. Regular cleaning of the plating will go a long way toward keeping the plating clean and shiny.

Tenons:Tenons should be lubricated occasionally. Simply rub a cake of paraffin canning wax onto the tenon wrappings or cork. Paraffin does a good job and is clean and neat. Cork grease is appropriate for corked tenons but don’t use it on thread wrapped tenons. Never use Vaseline for tenons; the only thing Vaseline does well on a bassoon is to make a mess! Maintaining the tenons of your bassoon will make playing your bassoon more enjoyable. While manytenon adjustments require the services of a qualified bassoon repair technician, there are some things you can do to fix minor problems. Loose tenons will allow the joints of the bassoon to move about while you play. In addition, loose tenons may leak air and compromise your bassoons performance. The addition of some cotton thread to the existing tenon wrappings can help this problem. Tenons that are too tight will make proper assembly and disassembly of your bassoon difficult. Tight tenons are not as easy to fix as loose tenons and a visit to a repair technician is recommended.

Periodic CareMany types of regular care are not needed daily. There are several tasks that should be done only a few times each year.

BocalsBocals need to be cleaned periodically. If left uncleaned they can accumulate a considerable degree of filth in their bores. Every month they should be cleaned with a bocal brush and running water. The cork should be lubricated with paraffin or cork grease. A loose cork should be replaced as it may be leaking air and can be uncomfortable to play on. If the cork is too tight it could cause the bocal to twist and split when you take it in or out of your bassoon.

Types of Bassoons

Student Bassoons: Student bassoons are designed for the beginner and meant to provide an excellent start for the first years of playing. They typically only feature the essential keys needed for learning the bassoon, and a few are made to a smaller scale in order to accommodate small hands. Student bassoons are made with durable plastic bodies that will hold up to the rough use of student bassoonists.Intermediate Bassoons: Once a student is established and has learned the fundamentals of good playing, it is important to purchase a bassoon that will continue his or her musical growth. Intermediate bassoons are made of plastic or maple, which has a warm, resonant quality to the sound. Bassoons made for the intermediate musician typically feature the full German key system, but without the custom keys found on professional bassoons.Professional Bassoons: Designed and constructed with the professional musician in mind, professional bassoons also find favor among college students. While plastic is still used on a few entry-level professional instruments, maple is the material of choice for most professionals. A full German key system is typically used, but several custom keys can be added or adjusted for comfort and ease.

Buying Used Bassoons:What should be your focus on buying a used bassoon. One of the most important items is the condition in witch the bassoon is offered. Specially on older bassoons and specially for cheaper bassoons.

An older bassoon is more likely to have problems with: - dry wood - Wootrot at the bottom and A-flat hole - Cracks in the joint ends - Dry pads - Too loose joint ends - Too looose dry bocal cork - lost pads - lost corks and felt As a rule we use; Every ten years a general overhaul is needed to make sure the bassoon can preform as it meant to be. A bassoon with a criterium as the list above will have a lot of resistance and a bad tuning. The sound is small and muffeled. There is a big differences in between notes, one sounds like A the other like O. Woodrot low in the butt joint makes a lot of resistance this costs a lot of enegie. Don't forget the rattling of the keys. To make sure you like the bassoon it must have a general overhaul first. With a general overhaul the bassoon will be brought back in the same conditio as when the bassoon left the company for the first time.

Assembling the Bassoon

Step 1: Boot Joint join into Wing Joint (Do not make your owns scratches)Step 2. Place Long joint into Bell JointStep 3: Place Bell into Long Joint

ATTENTION STUDENTS 1: Always Twins Joints Together 2: When putting bocal into wing joint, nib can rip off whisper keypad 3: Bridge key mechanism a. This determines adjustment of whisper key; if put not together correctly, lower E key will not close Whiper b. Bridge key can get bent; if not put together correctly.

Playing Posture

It is so important to have good bassoon posture, especially with regard to correct hand position. The bassoon is a heavy instrument and if you have too much weight on your left hand, you can really hurt yourself. That is why it is so important to know the correct way to hold a bassoon.

Place your seat strap across your chair, with the hook end over the right side of the chair

While holding your assembled bassoon, sit down on the chair, on top of the seat strap. Be careful not to bump your reeds

Place both feet firmly on the floor. Look straight ahead. Are you slouching? Gently move your shoulders back if you are. Don't strain. Relax.

While still seated, carefully lift up the bassoon and attach the hook end of the seat strap to the boot cap of the bassoon. Be sure that the thumb keys (and bocal) are facing you and the tone holes are facing out, away from you.

Place your left thumb over the whisper key, the left index finger over the first tone hole of the wing joint, then middle finger and ring finger over second and third tone holes. The left pinkie rests gently on the low E-flat resonator key.

Rest your right thumb over the big, round key on the boot joint, called the "pancake key." Place your right index finger over the first hole of the boot joint, the middle finger over the second tone hole, and the right ring finger on the metal G key. The right pinkie finger rests gently on the low F key.

While sitting with good posture as before, check the angle of the bocal. You should not be straining or angling your head to reach the reed.

Is your instrument too high? Adjust the height of the bassoon by letting out some slack on the seat strap to lower the instrument to a more comfortable position.

Is the instrument too low? Pull on the other side of the seat strap to raise the instrument to a more comfortable position.

Here are some more helpful tips for maintaining a correct bassoon posture: - Keep fingers close to the tone holes while playing - Both pinkies and the right hand ring finger should always be touching the metal (even when not pushing down the key) - Keep the weight of the instrument off the left hand by adjusting the position of the seat strap on the chair (forward/backward, and up/down)- Keep your elbows out a bit so your wrist are not bent over - Reed/bocal should angle gently UP to mouth, not down into (see embouchure section below) - - Use a mirror while you practice to check your posture and hand position! It really helps!

Bassoon Embouchure

"Embouchure" is just a fancy word to describe the correct position of the mouth, cheeks, and lips for playing a wind (or brass) instrument. Every instrument requires a different type of embouchure to get the best sound. This is because every instrument has an uniquely shaped reed and/or mouthpiece. Therefore the way you will form the embouchure will be different for each instrument.The embouchure for the bassoon is kind of like the spokes of a bicycle wheel. As you hold the bassoon reed in your mouth, imagine the muscles of your lips holding onto the reed as though they are bicycle spokes going in to the center of the wheel. Instead of the center of a wheel, though, you have the muscles of the lips pushing into the reed, evenly on all sides.It's also important for the inside of the mouth, or "oral cavity," to have a shape, too. It should be an "open" shape, formed by slightly dropping the jaw. The easiest way to do this is to pretend you are yawning with your mouth closed. You can see me explain all this in my youtube video on bassoon embouchure for beginners here.

Reed to Mouth Alignment:The alignment of the reed in relation to your mouth is the most important part of proper playing position. If the instrument is at the correct height, you should feel like you can simply pull the bassoon toward you and place the reed in your mouth. You should not have to push your head forward or upward to reach the reed. In other words, any pressure in your neck or jaw denotes an improper playing position.

Note: Some beginners on bassoon switch to the instrument from another woodwind or other instrument, and bring over to the bassoon some unhelpful habits:

They "bite" on the reed, putting too much pressure from the top and bottom lips

They pull the corners of their mouths far back, instead of forward in a rounded "bicycle spoke" shape

It is recommended to catch these habits early in beginner bassoonists so that a proper embouchure can be established.

The Bassoon and Contrabassoon TogetherIn this excerpt the bassoon begins at the top of the scale and then passes the theme to the contra at the bottom of the scale.From Through the Looking Glass: Jabberwocky by Deems Taylor(1885-1966)Bassoon: Seth Krimsky Contra: David Taylor Seattle Symphony Orchestra Gerald Schwarz, conductor

Vibrato

Two basic ways to use vibrato1) Pitch Vibrato2) Intensity Vibrato

1. An advanced High School Bassoonist should play with vibrato2. A good rule for vibrato speed is approximately 1/16's at quarter = 763. Should use Singing Vibrato (Diaphragm/Throat Vibrato) Not the JAW4. A method to Start a Singing Vibrato a. Whistle repeated notes Play with hand on throatc. Listen to other insturments and singers

Bassoon Tone Production Problems and Remedies

Sound Production 1. Correct sound of Crow

2. High Pitch Crow with too few sounds

3. Low Pitched Crow

4. Correct Sound of Low F5. Unsupported sounds on low F

6. Correct-Unsupported-Correct

Causes of Problem

None

- Embouchure is too tight, pitch- Reed is too stiff, closed off

- Lack of Support- Reed too long and/or too wide.

- None

- Lack of Support from lower jaw.- Lack of air column support from diaphrame

- OK - Lack of support - OK -

Remedies

None

- Embouchure is too tight- Reed is too stiff, closed off

- More support to damper the reed- Change length

- None

- Lack of Support From Lower Jaw.- Lack of air column support from DiaphragmNone - Lack of Support - None

Adjusting your Reeds

General Suggestions 1) Check the lay of the blades after each scrape to be sure no bumps or gouges are being formed. The lay should taper evenly from the wire to the tip and the blades should be balanced. The thickness should be the same in corresponding areas on both blades.

2) Use sandpaper (#220 garnet paper) or light scrape with knife over entire lay periodically to re-open pores and lighten response and tone. This cleans off the "surface scum" that collects with use and lengthens the life of the reed.

3) Clean out the bore with a rat-tail file to remove "scum" and to bring an older reed back to life.

Problem Areas of the Reed

MAKING REEDSINTERMEDIATE to ADVANCED PLAYERS ONLY(Beginning players do not need to make your own reeds)

Why make your own? There are many advantages to making your own bassoon reeds. The first is cost. Finished bassoon reeds can be very costly, and the further back you go into the processing of cane, the cheaper the cost will be for each piece of cane. Here's an example: Let's say a pretty good finished bassoon reed costs $18. Bassoon reed blanks would cost somewhere around $10. GSP Cane? $5/piece. GS Cane? $4/piece. Gouged cane? $3/piece. Bassoon tube cane costs around $2/tube. Each tube yields 4 pieces of cane, so tube cane is the most economical choice, costing about $0.50 per piece of cane. The second major advantage of making your own reeds is the freedom and independence it affords you. You can customize your own reeds to make them work for you, and not depend on anyone else to make them for you. What would happen if your favorite reed-maker went out of business, for example? Would you be able to find a suitable alternative, someone who you really like? Well, maybe. But would the reed be perfect for you? Bassoon Reed Making will teach you a lot about how your instrument works. As your reed making skills improve, so will your sound on the bassoon. You will customize the reed to work for you, so that you can sing through your instrument. That is the most rewarding part, in my mind, of making bassoon reeds. Everyone has different need with bassoon reed making, so judge your needs and the costs wisely before choosing where to begin.Here are the stages of the bassoon reed-making:

Reed Making TermsBevel: Making the two pieces of cane meet at a 45 degree or flush point, no corners or perpendicular edges. Blade: The front of the reed. The portion that goes into your mouth. The blade usually starts 1 and 3/12 inch in length from collar to clipped tip then is shortened as needed.Cane: Arondo Donax plant that bassoonists use to make reeds. It is a grass like fiber. It grows in a tube similar to bamboo.Collar: Where the vibrations will stop. It is the place where the blade and tube meet. Also the place where the bark ends and begins.Dowel: A curved wooden object the piece of cane can rest on.Gouge: Only the cane closest to the bark of the plant is used in reed making. Gouging is the process of scrapping off the inside of the tube which is not needed for the reed.Pre-Bevel: Taking the corners off the very back of the tube.Pre-Gouge: The cane comes in a tube off the plant, when we pre-gouge we split the tube into four pieces lengthwise.Profile: The blade of the reed does not have any bark on it. We removed the bark on that part of the cane and call it a profiled piece of cane.Score: To cut sraight lines into the bark where the cane will crack when it is made into a round tube.Shape: The cane is a rectangle after the pre-gouge. We cut off the sides of the cane to conform to a metal predesigned form (called a shaper) to make the cane into a reed shape.Throat: The area of the reed between the first and second wires. It is the first area of the tube.Tube: The back end of the reed. It is the round portion of the reed that goes on your bocal and has the wires and wrapping on it. The tube is between 27-30 mm in length.

Types of Bassoon Cane When you buy bassoon cane or reeds through a supplier, it is available at any of the stages listed above.Tube cane is arundo donax cane that is still, yes, in tube form and completely unfinished. You will start at the very beginning of the bassoon reed making process with tube cane.Gouged cane has already been gouged for you. Continue the process of finishing the reed, starting with the next step, shaping. You must still soak the cane before you shape it.Gouged and Shaped cane, sometimes listed as GS, has already been gouged AND shaped for you. Continue the process of finishing the reed, starting with profiling the cane. Remember to soak the cane before profiling it.Gouged and Profiled cane is available if you prefer to use your own shaper but do not have access to a profiling machine. Remember to soak the cane before shaping it.Gouged, Shaped, and Profiled cane, or GSP, is a very common form of processed cane. This is a good place for intermediate bassoon students to start with bassoon reed making. Most of the tools for gouging, shaping, and profiling cane can be expensive, inaccessible, and impractical for younger students. GSP cane is a convenient way to get practice and experience forming blanks without the hassle of the earlier stages of cane processing. As always, remember to adequately soak GSP cane in water before forming reed blanks. You can also buy Bassoon Reed Blanks. Blanks look like regular bassoon reeds, but they are unfinished, so the tip of the reed has not been clipped. To complete the reed making process with bassoon blanks, soak the blank, clip the tip of the reed off and finish them yourself. This is also a good place to start with younger reed makers. Finally, you can purchase finished Bassoon Reeds. Beginners, you should start here and either purchase reeds from your bassoon teacher or from a supplier that he or she recommends to you. Beginners have enough to work on at first that reed making at this stage would be too burdensome. Focus on the fundamentals and find yourself a good bassoon reed supplier. You will learn reed making eventually!

Fingerings Charts

Earliest Instruments to the Present Fingerings for the earliest bassoon, which was developed in the late 1650s into the 1700s during the Baroque Period, are listed here as well as fingerings for its precursors, the dulcian and the shawm.

In the 1880s two schools of bassoon-making arose: the French school under Buffet and the German school under Heckel. Each had it own solutions to tone production, fingering and intonation. Both sets of fingerings are included here along with those for the contrabassoon.

Flicking or Venting

With out flicking in the upper octave the lower octave will sound before the note speaks. Flicking, venting the octave key will make the note speak clearly. Mostly for the top .

1. Venting or Flicking is the opening of a speaker key, either the High A key #7 or the High C key #82. A2, Bb2 B3 , and C3 are the notes most often vented a. For A2 Vent High A key b. For Bb3, B3, and C33. Speaker key can be opened at beginning of ntoes or held down entire duration of note4. Use the prevent "cracking", or to negotiate a wide leap5. Bassoon has 5 speaker keys (octave keys), nib on bocal not best for each note.

Common Pitch Problems - Tuning Guide

Methods to Correct Intonation Problems 1. In principle; the bassoon in an embourchre-tuned instrument. Should not move bocal in or out to adjust intonation. 2. Purchase a shorter or longer bocal, this affects entire bassoon - Higher number equals a longer bocal - This changes intonation level of entire bassoon 3. Air/ Embouchure Balance 4. Fingerings

Common Out of Tunes Notes1. G1: Usually Flat2. Bb1 to F1: These notes are all usually sharp in pitch, some notes more so than others3. F#2: Usually sharp- Use Little Finger F#24. D3 to F3: These notes are all usually Flat in pitch. The F3 in Particular5 F3: Usually flat, add low Eb Key

Alternate Fingering Tips: 1. There are more than one fingering for most notes on the basoon.2. A bassoonist can use different fingerings to solve many problems such as technique and intonation.3. Any advanced High School Bassoonist should know alternate fingerings for the following notes - G Natural below the staff is the sharpest note is on the bassoon: Add low Eb Key to help bring the pitch down - Second octave G Natural, G Sharp and G Flat all require the half hole and the whisper key - E Flat in the Staff: Add add the second finger on your right hand - E Natural in the staff: Add the pancake key - F# above the staff: Usually sharp- Use Little Finger F#2

Method Books

Rubank, Elementary Method: Bassoon, by J. E. Skornicka (Good for Elementary and Middle School Beginners) - Easy to Obtain - Exercises are well written - Contains exercises in both flat and sharp keys - Contains many duets and a few triosWeissenborn: Method for Bassoon, Cundy-Bethony edition (Good for 8th Grade and aboce beginners, and as supplement. - Not as easy to obatin as the Rubank Series - Not as progressive in rhythm and diffictulty key signatures - Contains many exercisses in both flat and sharp keys - Duet and the end of each lesson with an easy and advanced partBassoon Student by Hery Paine, from the Student Instrumental Course Bewin (Intermediate to Advanced Players)